


Brother of Mine

by RikuKingdomHearts3



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Brotherly Bonds, Brotherly Love, Episode Ardyn Prologue, Fluff, Gen, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Regret, Somnus has a change of heart, rekindled brotherly love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:42:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28485558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RikuKingdomHearts3/pseuds/RikuKingdomHearts3
Summary: After Somnus had struck Ardyn down, he thought he could move on with his life. Everything could go how he wanted it to. But little did he know something was about to happen. Something that would change his perspective on everything he thought that he knew. When a younger version of himself shows up to talk to him, that is where everything changed.
Relationships: Ardyn Izunia & Somnus Lucis Caelum
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	Brother of Mine

**Author's Note:**

> It is 2021! And that means I should post a new one shot to start off the new year!! This time its a rather interesting idea about Somnus and a "What if" he was haunted by his past selves.
> 
> Also thanks to zaithat for helping check this over!

A new day had come to pass, and Somnus no longer had to look at the monster that was once known as his older brother. The deed had been some and the body had been imprisoned on Angelgard. With all of that out of the way, he could finally take things into his own hands, and he would be the savior that history knew and loved.

This was what he had planned for and what he had wanted for so long now. As far as he could remember, he had hated his brother. His annoyance at how Ardyn was always in the spotlight, and he was left in the shadow had bundled up within him. Over the years it had only grown worse, but now he had nothing else to worry about. He could go on with nothing else to weigh down his mind.

Or so he thought.

A few days after he had cleaned up the throne room, he heard footsteps. He had no idea who it could have been through. The servants were all busy elsewhere, and this was supposed to be his time to himself.

"Who goes there!" he called out, ready to summon his sword at any second.

A figure stepped out from the pillars, and Somnus was brought face to face with himself. Yet it wasn't exactly himself, not anymore. He was looking at what appeared to be a younger version of himself, most likely around his teenage based on his height and physique.

"What in the Astrals' name…?" Somnus gawked. "This cannot be possible."

The younger Somnus looked up at him with the same level of confusion. "I was going to ask the same thing. Last I knew I was relaxing in the gardens. Now I am here, and I was informed that you, or I guess I, killed Ardyn?"

" _What trickery is this?"_ Somnus thought to himself as he descended the stairs down, coming closer to his younger self. " _This could not be the Astrals' doing, could it? No, it cannot be that. This must be something else."_

"If you are me, then you must know it had to be done," Somnus finally replied once he was close enough.

"You may say that, but I ask why?"

"What do you mean why? Ardyn had become a monster, and I was simply doing what you do when you have a monster."

The teenager scoffed, rolling his eyes a little. "A monster… Ardyn? Really?" Crossing his arms he looked away. "I know Ardyn gets a lot of attention, but I don't care what he does, but that doesn't make him a monster."

"You do not know what he becomes."

Teenage Somnus huffed, annoyed. "Whatever. I don't have to believe you, even if you are supposedly me. All I know is you killed him, and it's wrong. I know we have not always seen eye to eye in recent years, but he was still a good brother. I'm honestly a little disgusted to know I could be capable of murdering him… and even Aera. You knew how much Aera meant to him, correct?"

Somnus felt his entire body stiffen. While taking care of Ardyn was one thing, he had tried his hardest to put what he had done to Aera out of mind. She had only gotten in the way, even when knowing what his plans were. Her love for Ardyn was definitely something far stronger than what he expected, but it was already too late to take anything back.

Turning away, Somnus closed his eyes, hoping that this illusion would cease tormenting him. "As I stated before, I did what I had to. I did what was right."

There was a soft hum and soon he started to hear footsteps moving away from him. "You say it's right… but I don't think it is."

When Somnus turned back around he was once again alone, the teenage version of him was nowhere to be seen. Before he could even say anything, his head started to throb. When he closed his eyes, suddenly vivid images filled his mind.

He saw himself laying in his room in the middle of the night. The version of himself that he saw was the same age as the one that had been in the throne room with him. Now his younger self was laying on the bed, his expression weary and tired. Upon closer inspection Somnus saw the bruises and cuts that he had on his face and arms.

It had been so long, but he remembered this event vividly. He had been through a rough training, and right after he had gotten into an argument with Ardyn. While he could not remember what the argument was at this point, he remembered how annoyed it made him feel, and how he wanted to not speak to Ardyn for the longest time.

Then the door creaked open and Ardyn entered the room, causing Somnus to nearly stop breathing. He looked so much younger, just as his own self did. But while he did look young, he also looked tired. The closer Somnus looked, the further he could see the concern in his older brother's expression.

Slowly Ardyn stepped closer to the bed. "Brother…"

"As I told you before, I want to be left alone," the young Somnus replied.

Somnus's eyes widened when he saw what was before this. " _This is… my own memory. This should not be possible. It cannot be…"_ Somnus wanted to run away, but he seemed to be frozen in his place. He could not even speak aloud; it was as if he was an outsider to his own memory. With nothing more that he could do, he stood there as he watched the memory play out before him.

"Brother, I know you are a stubborn one, but even you must know how pointless this feud is."

"It's not pointless!"

"Oh really? Then pray tell what the point may be," Ardyn asked as he sat down next to Somnus on the bed. "You pout and complain as if you are still a child, yet you are fifteen. Is it so hard for you to act your age?"

Somnus puffed out his cheeks and rolled on to his side, trying not to look at his brother. Ardyn only sighed deeply. "Really Somnus… Please sit up already so I can heal you."

"You're already healing everyone else, so I don't see why you would remember."

"Somnus!"

"Do you deny it?" Somnus asked as he sat up from the bed. "Do you deny that you spend so much time helping others that you let your time with me slip away? Honestly! I don't care for this!"

Somnus flopped back down onto the bed, grumbling softly. Ardyn on the other hand sighed and placed a hand on his brother's back. Somnus flinched, but he did not make any attempts to move away from Ardyn.

With a deep breath, Ardyn started to rub Somnus's back. "You may claim you do not care, dear little brother, but I know you better. You try and deny things yourself over how you feel. I am truly sorry I could not be there when you wanted me to, but I still make it my job to watch over you."

"I don't need you to watch over me… you said it yourself, I am fifteen."

"And I am eighteen, but that does not change anything. As the older brother, I still will always look out for you, so do take care to never forget that."

Without Somnus sitting up, Ardyn began his healing magic. All of the bruises and wounds on Somnus started to fade away and within seconds it was like nothing ever happened. With the pain gone, Somnus once more pushed himself to a sitting position.

He lowered his head, staring down at the bed. "Thank you, brother. Sometimes I think I do not deserve your kindness."

"Family may fight at times, but our bonds are stronger than that," Ardyn said before he wrapped one arm around Somnus and pulled him into an embrace.

The older Somnus, who was watching, felt an ache in his heart. He closed his eyes, wanting the memory to stop already. He didn't need this, especially not now. Thankfully when he opened his eyes again, he was no longer in his bedroom, but back in the throne room where this had all begun.

"It's not real," Somnus told himself. "It's all in my head. My imagination just wishes to get ahead. Perhaps I need proper sleep."

After that thought entered his mind he shuddered. The thought that he may encounter Ardyn there haunted him. He really could not understand why he felt so off put. It was only a simple memory. He quickly reminded himself of what Ardyn was currently, not what he once was. The Ardyn he knew was long ago, and there was nothing that was going to change that.

With a deep breath, he decided he should retire anyways; the sun had already set after all. He turned around ready to head out when he was stopped by seeing another version of himself. This version of himself, was much younger than the last, but he seemed to be just as angry. He was from years before the last one, when he was less in a 'not caring' attitude.

Quickly Somnus rubbed his eyes in an attempt to make the illusion go away, but when he opened them he still saw the young child. The young Somnus pouted angrily at him with a deep glare that somehow was making him feel intimidated.

" _I am glaring at myself, how can I feel this way?"_

"Why did you do that to Ardyn?" younger Somnus asked.

"Not this again; please, I do not wish to deal with this." One version of himself was already enough, he didn't need a second one.

"No! I want to know! What did he ever do to you! He is big brother!"

"Wouldn't you know? You are me after all, and you seem to know what I did to him," Somnus asked, starting to get annoyed by this. He had half the mind that he should just leave the room, but then he feared that this could be real. If it was real and his child self followed him, it would only stir questions from the servants.

"I know what you did… but I don't understand it! He was just helping people! He was trying to help people, and you said he was a monster!" The annoyance in younger Somnus faded slightly, and now he started to look more saddened. "I know he was busy helping others, but that doesn't mean you should get mad at him."

"I was not mad at him. I explained it already; he had become a monster; and I had to deal with it accordingly."

"You are too mad! You were mad whenever Ardyn had to go and help people. I still wish he could be around me more, but he is helping people. Helping people is good. K-Killing Ardyn… that's not good."

There were tears in the young Somnus's eyes now; he was on the brink of crying. Somnus had to take in yet another deep breath himself. He wanted so badly to just pull away from this, yet he could not move again, though he knew he could. He knew right now he could just walk away from this and ignore whatever his mind was trying to tell him, yet he saw himself crying and something in him was aching.

"Perhaps you will understand when you reach this point, but it is what had to be done."

"You keep saying that," he sniffled. "But what does that even mean?"

Somnus closed his eyes and started to rub his temples. He was getting nowhere with this, and he was just going to keep going in circles at this rate. "It means what it means. I did what was necessary. That is literally all that is needed to be said!"

"Ardyn would be upset to hear you say that…"

Like before, when he opened his eyes the younger version of him was gone. He held his tongue from what he was going to say since he was alone. Along with fearing this was real or fake, he didn't want to alert alone to barge in by shouting loudly.

Quickly he started to make it towards the door that would lead to his chambers, but the room started to spin, and everything faded away. He was stuck again; this time out in front of his home. He saw his younger self sitting on the steps, looking completely disappointed.

" _Another memory… who is behind this,"_ Somnus thought to himself. " _This cannot just be my weary mind at this rate. There has to be someone doing this, but who?"_

The young Somnus heard footsteps and it seemed that his younger self did too. He jumped up to his feet, looking much more excited. "Ardyn!"

He ran quickly to meet Ardyn who had come from the other way. He jumped into his brother's arms and smiled. "I was waiting for you! What took you so long, huh? Why did you have to go out for so long?"

"Somnus," Ardyn laughed. "I've only been gone since morning, it couldn't have been that long considering you usually sleep that away."

Somnus pouted. "I still waited! I'm tired of you always going away! I want you to play more!"

Ardyn smiled softly as he petted his brother's head. "You know that I have an obligation to help the people."

"But you're only eleven!"

Ardyn laughed. "I may be, but it doesn't mean I won't help others. I enjoy being able to put forth my best foot and make someone's day better."

"Well you make my day better when you play with me! So you should play with me more! You know that makes me happy!"

"Indeed it does, little brother. I know that all too well, but you also know I cannot be around you every moment. As we grow older we will become more responsible towards other things, and we need to take these things seriously."

Somnus started to frown. "Y-You mean we won't get to play together? You'll go and be too busy to remember me?"

"Oh no, Somnus! I do not mean it like that," Ardyn whispered as he hugged his brother tightly. "I will never be too busy for you. Our bond as brothers comes first, remember?"

Somnus nodded slightly. "Yes, we are brothers, and that makes us stronger together right?"

"Correct, and let's not forget, okay?"

"Okay," Somnus said as he gave a nod of approval. "Can we play now?"

"Of course," Ardyn replied. "Come, let's head inside first."

As he watched the two children walk up the stairs, Somnus felt his chest aching again. The scene faded and he was brought back to where he had been in the throne room. Now he stood there, staring down at the floor, feeling the aching in his chest trying to weigh him down.

"Ardyn…" Somnus whispered. "No, I cannot feel regret over this. I will not give in to these odd mind games."

Pushing forward, Somnus marched all the way back to his bedroom. Nothing else stopped him on the way there, and just as he arrived he thought it was over. Finally he could sleep and put whatever this horrible day was behind him. But when he opened the door to his bedroom he saw the youngest version of himself yet.

This little Somnus, clearly around the age of five. Despite being the youngest to show up so far, he was by far the angriest. The little 5 year-old Somnus pouted, scrunching up his nose and puffed out his little cheeks once he saw the older Somnus step into the room.

"You're a big meanie!"

"Excuse me?" Somnus replied, still partly in shock from seeing yet another version of himself.

"You!" little Somnus pointed up at him. "You were mean to big brother! Why would you be mean to big brother!"

Somnus tried his hardest not to break his calm composure. This was the third time. The third time that he was being chastised by a younger version of himself. If this went on any further, he wasn't sure if he could take much more of it.

He breathed in deeply. "You would not understand the urgency of the matter. You are too young. He was no longer my... your... brother."

"Yes he is!" little Somnus replied as he stomped his foot. "You're just being mean! You forgot how nice big brother is! He always is being nice to me and makes me happy when I get sad. He's a good brother and you're not!"

This was getting ridiculous at this point, Somnus's head was already spinning and this was only adding to it. "No, I am not doing this again. I am through with these games."

Looking away, Somnus started to make his way to his bed, but part way there he felt someone pulling on his robes. He looked down to see little Somnus pulling on them. "Stop! Stop running away!"

"Running? I am not running from anything."

"You are too! You hurt big brother and also Aera! Why did you do it? W-Why?" Little Somnus's bottom lip was trembling. His hands still were clenched on the robe, but he was shaking now. "You don't love big brother anymore?"

"I… I um," Somnus for once was at a loss for words. What was he to say to this? To his younger version of himself, sobbing over the bother he no longer had.

"I hate you!" little Somnus suddenly declared. "I hate you, and I never wanna be you!"

"But, we are just the same. How can you say-"

"No!" little Somnus screamed. "You can't be me! I love big brother and you don't! You're the monster not him!"

That small ache in Somnus's chest was now a big gaping hole. Those few simple words torn into him like a beast ripping out his heart. "I'm not… I am not a monster."

"Are too!" the little Somnus shouted back. "Big brother was just trying to help! You went and hurt him! You are a monster!"

The room started spinning as Somnus's head throbbed. He nearly collapsed to the ground as the pain increased. He couldn't even tell if little Somnus was still in the room, or even if he was in his room. Everything from his head to his chest hurt far too much to focus, and now he only wished for it to be over.

But the pain slowly started to fade away after a moment. Looking around he was still in his room, yet he couldn't move again. It was another memory, but Somnus was dreading what was to come. Each memory so far had left him feeling empty. He felt uncomfortable being reminded of the good memories he once shared with Ardyn.

When the pain in his head ceased, he was not met with silence, but instead he could hear sobbing. Looking around the room, his eyes fell to the bed where his young self was curled up. Tears were streaming down his face, and he clutched the covered tightly. Ardyn was lying next to him, since they often slept close when they were little and was starting to wake up.

"Som?" Ardyn said with a yawn.

Somnus sniffled. "Ardy, I… I had a nightmare."

"And what was that nightmare?" Ardyn asked as he wrapped an arm around his brother.

"I… I cannot remember. But it was scary."

"Nightmares may be that, but I will be here to protect you from them."

"Even if it's really really scary? Like a monster?"

"Even if it is a monster. Dream or not, I would protect you."

Somnus turned and cuddled up against Ardyn. "Thank you Ardy! I love you."

"I love you too, little brother. I will always have you in my heart. Now let's get some sleep shall we?"

The two started to drift off after that and Somnus was returned to his bedroom at the present time. Finally his legs gave out and he collapsed to the floor. His heart was throbbing at this point, begging to be torn in two.

Pressing a hand to his face, he felt water on his cheeks. Tears. He was crying. He hadn't for Ardyn or Aera's death. There wasn't a single tear that he had shed over either of them. He had murdered them in cold blood and barely gave a second glance. What man does not mourn even a little for his own brother and who would have been his sister-in-law?

He truly was the monster.

Only a monster could murder his own blood and not feel the consequences. It made him feel sick. He had really let his own jealousy and desires block what was truly important. Furthermore just how twisted every part of this was. Everything finally was becoming clear in his head, yet it only brought up concerns.

Ardyn had been a healer from the start. It was a gift granted to him by the Astrals. He could heal anything from small injuries to illnesses, and that included the Starscourge. But he saw now maybe the Astrals didn't know what they were dealing with.

Ardyn was healing others from the Starscourge, but it took it upon himself instead. Had that been the Astrals plan all along? Let Ardyn descent into darkness while he devoted himself endlessly to his people? Were the Astrals really that clueless how that could affect him? They were the ones who gave him this power, and they had also decided he was the one who would be king. Yet Somnus was allowed to murder Ardyn and imprison him. None of it was making any sense to him anymore, but he did know one thing. There was something he had to do to fix this guilt that had settled into his chest.

He was going to beg Bahamut to fix this twisted fate and heal his brother. He thought that he could venture out to Angelgard to retrieve Ardyn, but he wasn't sure that Bahamut would allow it. The god had promised him that no one would interfere with Ardyn's island of imprisonment until the time was right for the prophecy to take place. All that was left was to ask Bahamut directly at this point. He had to try for he feared he would no longer be sane himself if he waited any longer. He could only hope that Bahamut would listen to his reason.

Marching down to the crystal he bowed before it. "Bahamut, I wish to have a word."

 **And what does the king wish to speak of?** Bahamut said from within the Crystal.

"I… I regret my actions. What I did to Ardyn, my brother, I shouldn't have done. I plead that you fix this."

**I will not undo what has been done. The prophecy has been set in motion.**

"The prophecy?!" Somnus scoffed. "You mean to say that Ardyn being subjugated to the Scourge and then killed by me was all a part of your prophecy? Then what of this 'picking him as king' part? How does that work?"

Bahamut was silent for the longest time before he answered. **As long as the Starscourge is purged, any path to it shall be accepted.**

"Then fix it!" Somnus demanded. "If you claim that any method can work then you can heal Ardyn! Is there not a way that Ardyn can heal without taking the illness into himself?"

**But that is not the way of the prophecy, it must-**

"You just said that any path would be accepted! So accept this path or I shall not proceed on with anything you want me to do! I will not erase my brother from history because he became a monster. He should be praised as a hero."

Somnus dropped his head, hoping what he was doing would be enough in the end. "Please, I ask you to do this not for myself, but for him. Do this for my brother who deserves so much more."

**I see… the change in your heart is rather strong. Human hearts and their will to change, it has always been something I could not understand. But your words have managed to move me.**

Somnus lifted his head to look at the crystal. He may not have been able to see Bahamut, but he could sense he was there, staring back at him. "You mean…?"

**Yes. The Scourge still must be purged in the end, but I shall grant you your request.**

Light filled the room and Somnus looked behind him, at the bottom of the stairs Ardyn laid perfectly still. He was breathing, but it looked like he was in a deep sleep. Seeing that he was alive brought forth some relive, but it was not over yet. He turned to face the crystal again.

"Now heal him."

**Very well, I shall heal him from the Starscourge and rework his healing. It shall not longer take a toll on his own soul, but instead completely purify the Scourge.**

A glow encompassed Ardyn's body, and all of the bruises and injuries from before, faded. He looked as good as he did before Somnus had brought his envy upon him. When the light faded, Somnus ran down the stairs and knelt before his brother. His hand reached out, shaky and hesitant, before he rested it on his brother's head.

"Thank you, Bahamut," Somnus whispered. "While Ardyn lives, I can assume Aera cannot return, correct?"

**Yes, her soul has moved on, passed the Beyond. I cannot resurrect her.**

"I understand. Still, I give my thanks. This will all be for the better, Ardyn will complete your prophecy without having to bring harm to himself."

**He shall not be alone in his endeavor. Your heart has proved how strong your love is, so you too shall help.**

Suddenly Somnus felt something fill his chest. It was different from the magic that his bloodline possessed. This felt warmer and much more pleasant. " _Is this how Ardyn felt with his power? This feeling that you can do so much more and help others? This is what his power is?"_

**You two are now granted with the power to heal. I leave it to the two of you to dispose of the rest of the Starscourge, along with help from the remaining bloodline of the Fleurets.**

With that, the magic faded from the crystal, presumably meaning Bahamut went back to sleep or whatever else it was that he did. All that Somnus had left to do now was talk to Ardyn, and hope that he was willing to listen. He knew begging for Ardyn to forgive him was out of the question. He already had gone too far to ever have his brother do that. The best he could hope for was that Ardyn would not try to enact any revenge on him.

Ardyn groaned slightly, his eyes starting to flutter open. "Ah what…"

"Brother," Somnus said, speaking softly.

Ardyn scrambled up into a sitting position, backing away as fast as he could from Somnus. He had expected that and he took no offence to it at all. He lowered his head instead, knowing Ardyn probably didn't want to look at him.

"Somnus!" Ardyn shouted, through gritted teeth.

Somnus had already felt wrong from his past selves scolding him, but now he had to deal with his own brother doing the same. It hurt more than he expected, but he was ready to accept whatever happened next.

"Somnus…" Ardyn said again. "What is… What on Eos have you done?"

"I asked Bahamut to cure you from the Scourge that plagued your body. You can still heal, but it will no longer take a toll on yourself," Somnus answered.

"You struck me down with your blade, now you claim to bring me back! Claim to have healed me! You killed my fiance before my eyes without hesitation! What reason is this for? What more can you take from me?"

"I never meant… no, I meant it back then. I was clouded by my envy for you. I was never anyone special compared to you. I had no powers other than the magic we both shared. You were-are the savior that the people look up to. I let my jealousy control my judgment, and for that I can never ask for your forgiveness. I don't even dare ask for your understanding, for envy is too cruel to come to understand."

He could hear Ardyn humming softly in thought. It wasn't exactly what Somnus had expected. He expected more anger from his older brother. He thought he would be yelled at and scolded for such foolishness. He _should_ be scolded for what he had done.

"So you mean to say you killed me out of jealousy, imprisoned my nearly dead body in some godforsaken prison, but then asked Bahamut to bring me back?" Ardyn finally asked. "What reasons brought this change?"

 _"My younger selves came back to tell me off, and I was forcefully shown our memories,"_ Somnus thought to himself, knowing he could never say that aloud without sounding insane.

"I remembered," Somnus started to say. He could already feel the tears building up in his eyes. "I remembered what our lives were like before we reached this age. We used to be close, but we began to drift. I've come to miss it. I miss our times together, we… no I had forgotten our bond. Our bond as brothers was supposed to be stronger than anything else. I'm sorry…"

Somnus was trying his hardest to not let the tears go. He was holding back so much of his pain, but he had no right to show it. All of this trouble was partially his own fault in the end. Why it was the Astrals fault for blessing Ardyn with a gift that also was a curse, Somnus still played his own part in the mess.

Suddenly he heard Ardyn move, and his arms were wrapped around him. Somnus lifted his head, looking at his older brother in shock. "A-Ardyn?"

"I shall forgive you, for I can hear the truth in your words. I too felt clouded before. Perhaps it was because of the Scourge, but there were times I felt lost in a darkness, where my feelings were not where I wanted them. I felt anger more often than I should have."

"But I don't deserve-"

"Brothers may fight, but in the end we are still brothers. As you said, our bond is stronger than anything else. I still love you, my little brother."

Suddenly, everything that Somnus was holding back burst forward. He clung on to Ardyn as if his life depended on it. Never before had he felt so relieved to hear the simple words of 'I love you' before. Ardyn truly was a good brother if he could look past the horrible things that had happened and still love him. Sure he knew there would probably be some resentment or arguments about what had happened before, but Somnus now knew it would be okay. In the end the two of them would work it out and build a better world together as the brothers they were.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed! I got many plans for new stories and new chapters for existing stories for this new year, so I hope to see you all next time!
> 
> Be sure to find me on Twitter and Tumblr as Claire Firedragon if you want to chat or whatnot!


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